The present invention relates generally to card display apparatus, particularly to poster sized card display apparatus, and specifically to poster sized card display apparatus having a header that is at least semi-rigid, having vertical and horizontal pockets for the cards, and having spaces between the rows of pockets such that the poster sized card display may be folded for storage and shipping.
Three conventional card holders are a box, a stand alone plastic pocket and a three ring binder having a set of three holed paper sized plastic sheets, each of which has a set of plastic pockets. Each of these conventional card holders have problems relating to 1) maintaining the condition or quality of the card, 2) inspection prior to buying, 3) theft, 4) display, 5) access, and 6) storage or transport.
A card is usually a paper card. A paper card is fragile and this presents a problem where cards are more than merely a passing hobby for adults, teenagers and children. Cards are business. Adults may collect, trade and sell sport cards. Teenagers may collect, trade and sell Magic(copyright) cards. Children may collect, trade and sell Pokemon(copyright) cards. Whatever the age, whatever the card, many cards are considered by their owners to have monetary value just like grandfather""s old valuable baseball card. To protect his or her investment, the collector, trader or seller shuns the box and encases his or her fragile paper or cardboard card in plastic such as the stand alone plastic pocket or three holed paper sized plastic sheet.
Inspection of the goods is important to the buyer who checks both the front and back sides of the card. Inspection of the goods without directly handling the absorbent paper card is important to the seller. Each of the stand alone plastic pocket and three holed paper sized plastic sheet resolves this problem of avoiding direct handling.
Indirect handling is an unresolved problem of inspection. Plastic pocketsxe2x80x94whether of the stand alone type or as part of a three holed paper sized plastic sheetxe2x80x94may not protect the paper edges of the paper cards. In a stand alone plastic pocket, all four edges of the card are prone to being bent or nicked or weakened because it is at these locations that the stand alone plastic is handled. In a three ring binder, only the middle card is fully protected because all of the other eight cards have at least one edge that is adjacent to the periphery of the three holed paper sized plastic sheet. Seven of such cardsxe2x80x94the cards along the upper, lower and outer edges of the three holed paper sized plastic sheetsxe2x80x94have edges prone to fingers that are turning the three holed paper sized plastic sheets. Three of such cardsxe2x80x94the cards along the inner edge of the three holed paper sized plastic sheetxe2x80x94are adjacent to and prone to being bent by the three metal rings. Four of such cardsxe2x80x94the cards at the comers of the three holed paper sized plastic sheetxe2x80x94have two edges adjacent to the periphery of the three holed paper sized plastic sheet.
Watch boys trade cards. The seller watches the buyer like a hawk. First, the seller does not permit the buyer to remove the card from its plastic pocket. Second, the seller does not permit the buyer to take the plastic pocket and card out of the seller""s sight or presence. The stand alone plastic pocket and card is a small flat object that may be easily pocketed itself.
The problem of theft may be partially resolved by displaying a card or set of cards in the three holed paper sized plastic sheet that is in turn placed in a three ring binder. The large three ring binder is an object larger than the stand alone flat plastic pocket and is therefore less prone to theft. However, the individual three holed paper sized plastic sheets are easily removable from the three ring binder itself. And, since the three ring binder is typically on the counter in front of the buyer, a card may be easily removed from its pocket.
The problem of displaying a card for aesthetic reasons or for sale is compounded by the multiplicity of cards in a set. For example, Pokemon(copyright) creators have designed 151 pocket monsters, each of which may have its own card or cards. A major league baseball team has a roster of 26 players. A professional football team starts 11 on defense, 11 on offense, and has a roster of 44 players. A box displays only the front side of the first card of the set. A stand alone plastic pocket displays only one card or, if desired, the front sides of two cards where the cards are placed back to back. A three holed paper sized plastic sheet displays only nine cards or, again if desired, 18 cards where the front sides of the cards in each pocket are placed back to back.
The problem of access has several competing features. The pocket is preferably sufficiently small in size (or preferably holds a single card with sufficient tension) such that the card will remain in the pocket even if the pocket is turned upside down. The pocket is preferably sufficiently large in size (or preferably holds two or more cards with sufficient slack) such that one or more cards are easily inserted into and taken out of the pocket. Of course, a box is easily turned upside down and dumped. Stand alone plastic pockets typically have little tension to sufficiently hold a single card. Some stand alone plastic pockets have a greater rigidity to hold a card more tightly, but at the same time cards are more difficult to insert into and remove from the rigid stand alone plastic pockets. The three holed paper sized plastic sheets provide a fit that has more tension than a stand alone plastic pocket, yet such tension may be too great because of how the pockets are formed on the three holed paper sized plastic sheet.
The problem of storage is cured easily by the box. The box takes up a minimum of space. A three ring binder may sit on a bookshelf However, cards in a box may not be displayed and stored at the same time. Further, the box itself cannot be changed without bending the box. Likewise, a three ring binder cannot take up a minimum amount of space and display its cards at the same time. A three ring binder has only an open spread out form (i.e., a display form) and a closed form (i.e. a stored form).
A feature of the present invention is the provision, in a poster sized card display apparatus for displaying a plurality of cards where the front and back sides of the cards can be viewed from the front and back sides of the poster/sized card display apparatus and where each of the cards is received in one of the plurality of pockets and where the poster sized card display apparatus is transparent and flat, of an elongate space between adjacent rows of pockets. The elongate space runs from the bottom edge of one row to the top edge of an adjacent row. The elongate spaces control a bending of the poster sized card display apparatus and each of the elongate spaces is of sufficient height such that the rows of pockets of the poster sized card display apparatus may be disposed at angles to each other without folding the cards.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of such elongate spaces having sufficient height such that the poster sized card display apparatus may be folded into a flat form without folding the cards.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of such elongate spaces having sufficient height such that the poster sized card display apparatus may be folded into a triangular tube form without folding the cards.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of such elongate space being formed between the uppermost row of pockets and a header that is at least semi-rigid, and of the header having about the height as a row of pockets such that the header may be folded with the rows of pockets and provide support to the folded form of the poster sized card display apparatus.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of a base of flexible transparent material and sections of flexible transparent material, and of the sections of flexible transparent material forming the rows of pockets, and of the elongate space being between adjacent sections of flexible transparent material such that only the base of flexible transparent material folds instead of both the base and section of flexible transparent material.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of each of the pockets being rectangular in shape and of at least one row of pockets having vertically oriented pockets and at least another row of pockets having horizontally oriented pockets such that both vertically and horizontally oriented cards may be displayed in the poster sized card display apparatus.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of the row of pockets having horizontally oriented pockets being at an end of the poster sized card display apparatus, and of the row of horizontally oriented pockets and an end portion having a combined height of about a row of vertically oriented pockets such that the row of horizontally oriented pockets and end portion fold regularly with the rows of vertically oriented pockets.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of a header where the header is at least semi-rigid and includes a rigidity greater than the base of flexible transparent material.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of the header being sealed between a section of flexible transparent material and the base of flexible transparent material such that the header is viewable from both the front and back sides of the poster sized card display apparatus.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of the header having a height about the height of a row of pockets such that the header folds regularly with the rows of pockets and provides support for the rows of pockets.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of bumpers about the periphery of the apparatus such that the outer edges of the outer cards are isolated from bumps.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of the bumpers comprising double connection portions (i.e., double seals or double welds) between the base of flexible transparent material and a section of flexible transparent material that form the pockets.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of pocket forming connection portions,(i.e., seam or welds) between the base of flexible transparent material and section of flexible transparent material where some of the pocket forming connection portions run at right angles to an elongate fold portion at which the poster sized display card apparatus folds and where the pocket forming connection portions that run at right angles to the elongate fold portion terminate at the elongate fold portion to permit the poster sized card display apparatus to easily fold at the elongate fold portion.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a poster sized card display apparatus, of the pocket forming connection (i.e., seams or welds) lying generally in the same plane as the base of flexible transparent material and where the section of flexible transparent material extends outwardly and in a general U-shape from the base of flexible transparent material to provide easy access to the pocket for easy insertion and removal of the card from the pocket.
An advantage of the invention is that a great many cards may be displayed at one time at one location without handling subsets of cards such as sheets of cards or individual cards. The poster sized display apparatus includes, in its preferred embodiment, 28 pockets. Accordingly, 28 cards may be displayed such that both of the front and back sides of the card may be viewed. Or, if two cards are placed back to back in each of the pockets, 56 cards may be displayed.
Another advantage of the invention is that all of the cards being displayed are protected from bumps and bruises. Even the cards about the periphery of the poster sized card display apparatus are isolated from such periphery by the bumpers (i.e., double seams or welds).
Another advantage of the invention is that the poster sized card display apparatus may be easily converted between a flat display form and a folded flat form for storage or shipping.
Another advantage of the invention is that the poster sized card display apparatus may be easily converted between a flat display form and a folded triangular form for storage or shipping.
Another advantage of the invention is that the poster sized card display apparatus may be easily converted between a flat display form and one of the folded forms with cards in the pockets and without bending or folding of the cards.
Another advantage of the invention is that the poster sized card display apparatus may be easily converted between a flat display form and one of the folded forms without cards in the pockets of the apparatus.
Another advantage of the invention is that the poster sized card display apparatus may be hung on a wall behind a store counter and out of reach of buyers.
Another advantage of the invention is that the poster sized card display apparatus may be hung in a vertical fashion where the card collector has a majority of vertically oriented cards or in a horizontal fashion where the card collector has a majority of horizontally oriented cards.
Another advantage is that the poster sized display apparatus has rigid and flexible sections. A rigid header provides support in the folded form, provides a portion from which to hang the apparatus on a wall, and provides a handle for manipulating the floppy large card display apparatus when it is off the wall. The flexible portion permits the poster sized display apparatus to fold.
Other advantages of the invention include protection for each and every card, visual inspection of each of the cards at the same time without handling the cards and without turning pages or handling individual cards, a large format display of cards while providing for individual pockets for individual cards, the capability to be transformed from a flat display form to a flat stored form, and the capability to be transformed from a flat display form to a triangular tube stored form.